Ex-swim teacher gets 10 years in Palatine abuse case

A father asked Cook County Circuit Court Judge Thomas Fecarotta to impose a maximum sentence of 30 years on Kevin Skowron, the former swim instructor convicted of the sexual abuse of a 4-year-old student.

"He is not well," wrote the father in a victim impact statement read during Skowron's sentencing hearing Monday in Rolling Meadows. "He had our little girl's life in his hands and he made the worst possible decision."

Fecarotta sympathized with the parents' anguish, but instead sentenced Skowron to 10 years in prison, citing in part his lack of a criminal record.

"This court must be the court of justice and not revenge," said Fecarotta.

Skowron, of the 1800 block of West Ashbury Lane in Inverness, must serve 85 percent of the sentence before he is eligible for parole. After his release, he must register as a sex offender.

Prosecutors requested a substantial prison term for the 23-year-old whom Assistant State's Attorney Mike Gerber described as a "boogeyman ... who must be kept away from our community and children for as long as possible."

A jury found the defendant guilty of predatory criminal sexual assault last month. During the trial, prosecutors said Skowron assaulted the now 5-year-old during a swim lesson at a Palatine YMCA in November 2008. Skowron's defense attorney Tim Murphy claimed his client was the victim of a short investigation, a long interrogation and coercive police tactics.

In their written statement, the victim's parents described how their bubbly, smart, well-spoken daughter withdrew after the assault and how she declined to eat for two days and refused to allow her father to hug her.

"He (Skowron) cannot control his compulsions and is a threat to all children," they said in their statement.

Murphy, however, argued that Skowron "is a person for whom rehabilitation is possible."

Speaking on his own behalf, Skowron said simply, "I'm innocent."

In imposing the sentence, Fecarotta referenced other abuse cases that have come before him.

"Sometimes we say, 'it could have been worse,' but when you think about it, it doesn't make a difference."

Skowron has four other cases pending stemming from incidents which authorities say occurred at the pool during October and November 2008. They include three charges of aggravated criminal sexual abuse and another predatory criminal sexual assault charge. If convicted of a second predatory criminal sexual assault, Skowron faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison, authorities say.